Thanksgiving Damage Control

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So, Thanksgiving happened. We're sure you followed our advice and did your best to Go Healthy last Thursday, but if an extra serving or two of yams and stuffing and drum sticks somehow made it in to your mouth, we won't judge. (The siren song of gravy is a hard siren song to resist, sometimes.)

As always, we're here to help, which is why we scoured the internet for advice on how to start burning off those extra Thanksgiving calories, from adding more green to your diet to planning an epic bike ride. We're all getting back to work in one way or another today anyway, so it's a perfect time to focus on Thanksgiving damage control before the holiday season begins to get out of control.

1. "While a workout can't compensate for overeating, it does help stabilize weight and gives you a psychological boost too. Of course, it's frequently the first thing to be eliminated from a busy schedule. 'Write your exercise time in your weekly planner and consider it as absolute,' says Dr. Susan Bartlett, weight loss specialist." - Good Housekeeping

2. "The good old green 'rabbit food' known as broccoli is a great source of fiber and calcium. You can shed weight, add water to your system and get plenty of fiber and calcium for a healthy way to lose those Thanksgiving pounds. Researchers believe that the water in these foods just might help you fill up faster so you eat less, as in the concept of drinking plenty of water. This strategy can work for you by adding plenty of these in-season fruits and veggies into your diet – each is at least 90 percent water." - Bloggin' In The Burbs

3. Do you still have family visiting? Do you think that's getting in the way of weight loss? Wrong! "Spending time with loved ones is part of what makes the holidays so special, but you don't have to give up this time to exercise. Instead, recruit your family and friends to join you in your fitness pursuits. Stage a snowball fight, go ice-skating or rake the leaves together to get your heart rate up while enjoying the company." - LiveStrong

4. "The average American consumes about 4,500 calories at his or her Thanksgiving dinner. That’s more than twice your requirement for a full day. Now, short of climbing Mt. Rainier or running a marathon, there’s no way you’re going to burn off nearly 5,000 calories but you can make a sizeable dent by exercising. Riding your bike fast, say 16 miles an hour for 3 hours would burn off roughly 2,900 of those extra K-Cals. If you skipped breakfast and ate only your Thanksgiving meal, that little bike ride would put you right in the ballpark for the number of calories you should have for the day: 2,000." - Bike Around The World

5. Just because you're getting a jump on holiday shopping doesn't mean you can't work off the turkey. "To maximize the burn, fitness director Shannon Griffiths recommends carrying your own holiday packages, then unloading them after every stop. 'A pedometer really encourages you to ... get moving. You have to go shopping, so you might as well get a workout as you're doing it!' Keep your pace brisk and you can burn 250-300 calories an hour." -WebMD